U.S. patent number 7,648,088 [Application Number 11/892,590] was granted by the patent office on 2010-01-19 for cheese grater.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dart Industries Inc.. Invention is credited to Jan-Hendrik de Groote, Ralph F. E. Eikelenberg.
United States Patent |
7,648,088 |
Eikelenberg , et
al. |
January 19, 2010 |
Cheese grater
Abstract
The invention provides a food grater assembly comprising a base;
an external cylindrical portion removably attached to the base; a
grater disc disposed within and removably attached to the lower end
of the outer cylindrical portion; an inner divider having a cross
wall dividing the inner space of the inner cylindrical portion in
two equal portions; said divider being able to rotate freely within
the external cylindrical portion; a plunger disposed within the
divider, said plunger having a plurality of annular ridges disposed
along a portion of its length; said plunger portion having a closed
bottom wall and a slot defined axially and longitudinally along a
portion of is length; a pair of engaging strips flexibly attached
to and disposed in the wall of the external cylinder, each of said
engaging strips having horizontal ridges along a portion of the
inner surface thereof for engaging and disengaging the horizontal
ridges of the plunger; and a cap disposed on the upper end of the
inner plunger portion.
Inventors: |
Eikelenberg; Ralph F. E.
(Gooik, BE), de Groote; Jan-Hendrik (Haaltert,
BE) |
Assignee: |
Dart Industries Inc. (Orlando,
FL)
|
Family
ID: |
39816981 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/892,590 |
Filed: |
August 24, 2007 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20090050723 A1 |
Feb 26, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
241/30; 241/95;
241/88.1; 241/273.2; 241/168 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J
43/255 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47J
43/25 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;241/273.2,88.1,95,89.4,169.1,168,30,169 ;99/510 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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20 2006 016 198 |
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Apr 2007 |
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DE |
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1 018 920 |
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Mar 2004 |
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EP |
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2685863 |
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Jul 1993 |
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FR |
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2005186267 |
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Jul 2005 |
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JP |
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WO 2008/019426 |
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Feb 2008 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Rosenbaum; Mark
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Doninger; John A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A food grater assembly, comprising: an outer hollow cylindrical
portion having top and bottom openings; a grater disc disposed
within and removably attached to the lower end of the outer
cylindrical portion; a plunger having a plurality of ridges on an
outer surface; a pair of engaging strips flexibly attached to and
disposed in the wall of the outer hollow cylindrical portion, each
of said engaging strips having a plurality of horizontal ridges
along an upper portion of an inner surface thereof for engaging and
disengaging the plurality of the ridges on the outer surface of the
plunger to rotatably secure said plunger at a desired height.
2. The food grater assembly of claim 1, further comprising an inner
cylindrical divider having a cross wall dividing the inner space of
the inner cylindrical divider in two equal spaces for placing
foodstuff to be grated within each space; said cylindrical divider
being able to rotate freely within the outer hollow cylindrical
portion cylindrical portion.
3. The food grater of claim 2, wherein said plunger further
comprises a closed bottom wall and a slot defined axially and
longitudinally along a portion of is length, and wherein said cross
wall is received within said slot, and wherein said bottom wall is
brought in contact with the foodstuff to be grated.
4. The food grater of claim 3, wherein said outer hollow
cylindrical portion further comprises a pair of opposing cut out
portions each shaped and configured to substantially receive the
engaging strips therewithin.
5. The food grater of claim 4, wherein each engaging strip further
comprises a retaining means extending downwardly from a lower
portion thereof, said hollow cylindrical portion further comprises
a pair of opposing housing at a lower portion thereof for receiving
said retaining means and allowing each engaging strip to flexibly
move inwardly and outwardly within said cutout portion.
6. The food grater of claim 5, further comprising a cap dimensioned
and configured to removably engage an upper peripheral edge of said
plunger, wherein said cap is used to rotate the plunger.
7. The food grater of claim 6, wherein said plunger further
comprises annular ridge on an upper periphery thereof, a plurality
of recesses disposed thereon, and wherein said cap further
comprises a plurality of protrusions to mate with said plurality of
recesses.
8. The food grater of claim 1, further comprising a base
dimensioned and configured to be removably secured to the lower end
of the hollow cylindrical portion closing off the bottom opening
thereof.
9. A method for grating cheese, the method comprising: providing an
outer hollow cylindrical portion having top and bottom openings;
providing a grater disc having upper and lower surfaces and being
disposed within and removably attached to the lower end of the
outer cylindrical portion; providing a plunger having a top end and
a plurality of ridges on an outer surface; providing a cap
removably fixed to the top end of the plunger; providing a pair of
engaging strips flexibly attached to and disposed in the wall of
the outer hollow cylindrical portion, each of said engaging strips
having a plurality of horizontal ridges along an upper portion of
an inner surface thereof for engaging and disengaging the plurality
of the ridges on the outer surface of the plunger for rotatably
securing the plunger at a desired height when being pressed against
the foodstuff to be grated; applying pressure on said cap to cause
the foodstuff to come into contact with the upper surface of the
grater disc; rotating the cap and plunger while applying inward
pressure on said engaging strips such that the foodstuff is grated
on the grater disc and is expelled from the lower surface of the
disk.
10. The cheese grating method of claim 9, further comprising:
providing an inner cylindrical divider having a cross wall dividing
the inner space of the inner cylindrical divider in two equal
spaces; placing the foodstuff to be grated within each space; said
cylindrical divider being able to rotate freely within the outer
hollow cylindrical portion cylindrical portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward a manually operated grater
for food products, in particular hard cheese, and for dispensing
such products in grated, shredded, or flaked form.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art food graters of the container type are commonly used to
cut hard food products, such as cheese, into grated, shredded, or
flaked form for consumption.
One problem associated with the prior art food graters is that they
are of complex design and assembly, thus rendering them complicated
to operate, and difficult to dismantle and reassemble for cleaning
purposes. Their complex design also results in a limited inner
space for receiving the food articles.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to
provide a food grater of simple ergonomic design and assembly,
which is simple in operation, and which is easy to fill and
clean.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These problems and others are addressed by the present invention
which comprises an external cylinder having a grater disc secured
at the bottom of inside of the external cylinder, and a cylindrical
divider having a vertical partition inserted in the external
cylinder and resting on the upper surface of the grater disc. The
cylindrical divider receives a cylindrical plunger having its
bottom closed by a wall and a vertical slot defined in its vertical
wall for receiving the vertical partition of the divider; A pair of
flexible engaging strips are secured in the wall of the external
cylinder. A plurality of horizontal ridges are integrally formed on
the upper, inner surface of the engaging strips, and a plurality of
projecting annular ribs on a portion of the outer wall of the
plunger corresponds with projecting ribs on the inner surface of a
pair of flexible fold-out strips attached to the outer
cylinder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other objects of the present invention will he
appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the
detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention
and the following drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the cheese grater assembly
according the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cheese grater
assembly according to FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view taken from FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing strips disengaged; and
FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view taken from FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, wherein the showings are for the
purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention
only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, the cheese
grater assembly of the invention is generally shown 10 which
comprises an external cylinder 11, a base 12, a grater disc 13, a
divider 14, a plunger 15, a pair of opposing engaging strips 16,
and cap 17.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the components of the cheese grater
assembly 10 are shown separated from each other. The external
cylinder 11 is a hollow cylinder having a blocking edge 18 for
supporting the grater disc 13 thereon once placed inside the
external cylinder 11. A plurality of vertical ribs 19 are
integrally formed with and protrude outwardly from the inner wall
of the external cylinder 11 for engaging with the corresponding
plurality of notches 20 formed at the peripheral edge of the grater
disc 13. The plurality of vertical ribs 19 extend from the blocking
edge 18 along a substantial portion of the inner surface of
external cylinder 11. When the grater disc 13 is seated on the
blocking edge 18, engagement of the notches 20 with the plurality
of the vertical ribs 19 prevents rotation of the grater disc 13
within the external cylinder 11. In this way, the grater disc 13 is
removably fixed onto the bottom of external cylinder 11, and is
easily removed for cleaning purposes.
An annular flange 28 is integrally formed with and extends
outwardly from the outer surface of external cylinder 11 at a
position proximate to the lower end of external cylinder 11. Below
the annular flange 28, a plurality of projections 29 are integrally
formed on the outer surface of external cylinder 11 for cooperating
and engaging with the inner surface 37 of base 12. The inside
diameter of base 12 is larger than the outside diameter of the
external cylinder 11 below annular ridge 28, such that base 12 fits
snuggly onto projections 29. Movement of the base 12 onto external
cylinder 11 is limited by the upper peripheral edge of base 12
coming into contact with the lower peripheral edge of annular ridge
28.
A pair of diametrically opposed cut-outs 21 is formed in the wall
of external cylinder 11 for receiving a portion of engaging strips
16. A housing 22 having an inner lumen 30, which is substantially
rectangular in cross-section, is formed on the outer surface of
external cylinder 11 at the lower end of each cut-out 21. The
housing 22 removable secures the lower end the engaging strip 16 on
the external cylinder 11.
The engaging strips 16 each comprises an elongate central portion
25, and a lower end comprising a central and generally T-shaped
retaining tab 23 extending downwardly and disposed between a pair
of flexible retaining lugs 24 each having a projection 31 extending
outwardly from a lower tip thereof. The top end of engaging strips
16 widens into a substantially circular portion 38. The inner
surface of the circular portion 38 comprises an angular projection
32 bearing a plurality of integrally formed horizontal ridges or
threads 27.
Each engaging strip 16 is snap-fitted onto the external cylinder 11
by inserting the generally T-shaped retaining tab 23 and retaining
lugs 24 into the lumen 30 of housing 22, until projections 31
engage the lower surface of housing 22, thus flexibly retaining the
engaging strip 16 on external cylinder 11. Such engagement allows
for a degree of flexibility and movement inwardly and outwardly of
the engaging strip 16 within the cut-out 21, which, as will be
explained in greater detail herein, provides for engagement of the
engaging strips 16 with the outer surface of the plunger 15 when
the engaging strips are pressed and flexed inwardly by a user.
A cylindrical divider 14 is disposed within and rotates freely
within external cylinder 11. The bottom edge of the cylindrical
divider 14 rests on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of
grater disk 13. The top edge of the cylindrical divider 14 is
located below the level of the angular projection 32 of the
engaging strips 16 when the engaging strips 16 are assembled on the
external cylinder 11. The cylindrical divider 14 includes a cross
wall 33 extending substantially the height of the cylindrical
divider 14 and extending laterally in a middle section thereof
dividing the inner space of the cylindrical divider 14 into two
equal spaces.
Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the cylindrical plunger 15 is a
hollow cylinder having a lower portion with an outside diameter
slightly smaller than the inside diameter of divider 14. The lower
end of the cylindrical plunger 15 is closed by wall 39, and a slot
40 is defined axially and longitudinally along a portion of the
lower portion of cylindrical plunger 15, for receiving the cross
wall 33 of cylindrical divider 14.
A plurality of horizontal annular ridges 36 are integrally formed
with and project from a substantial portion of the outer surface of
cylindrical plunger 15. The top end of the cylindrical plunger 15
widens into an opening or mouth that includes an annular flange 28
integrally formed with and extending upwardly from a peripheral
edge of the upper portion of the cylindrical plunger 15. The
annular flange 28 is bounded by an annular wall 41 integrally
formed with and extending upwardly from a peripheral edge of the
annular flange 28. A plurality of recesses 42 are formed in the
outer surface of the annular wall 41.
The cap 17 includes a closed top portion 43 and an open lower
portion that snap fits over the annular wall 41 of the plunger 15.
The cap 17 further includes a plurality of tabs integrally formed
with and extending from the inside peripheral edge of the lower
portion of the cap 17 for coupling with the plurality of recesses
42 in the outer surface of the annular wall 41 of the plunger 15.
When the cap 17 is seated on annular flange 28 of the plunger 15,
slight rotation of the cap 17 on the plunger 15 causes the
plurality of notches 20 to engage with the plurality of recesses 42
in the annular wall 41, thus preventing further rotation of the cap
17 about the plunger 15. In this way, the cap 17 is removably fixed
onto the top the plunger 15.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, in a first, disengaged position,
the flexible engaging strips 16 are positioned such that the
horizontal ridges 27 on the inner surface of angular projection 32
do not engage annular ridges 36 on the outer surface of plunger 15,
so that plunger 15 may move freely in a vertical direction within
divider 14. Inward manual pressure on the engaging strips 16 causes
engaging strips 16 to move to a second, engaged position, in which
the horizontal ridges 27 on the angular projection 32 engage the
annular ridges 36 on the outer surface of plunger 15, thereby
preventing vertical movement of plunger 15 inside divider 14 (FIGS.
5 and 6).
To grate food, the plunger 15 is removed from external cylinder 11,
and the food to be grated is introduced into the central lumen of
divider 14, on one or both sides of cross wall 33. Thereafter,
plunger 15 is introduced inside the divider 14, such that the cross
wall 33 of the divider engages with and moves freely along slot 40.
The plunger 15 will drop into divider 14 until the bottom wall 34
of plunger 15 comes into contact with the food introduced into the
lumen of divider 14. Once the plunger 15 comes into contact with
the food, the operator applies pressure on the top of the cap 17 to
bring the food into firm contact with grating blades on the top
surface of the grater disc 13, while using the other hand to grip
the outside surface of the external cylinder 11 and apply inward
pressure on both of the engaging strips 16, thus causing the ribs
on the angular projection 31 of each engaging strip 16 to come into
contact with the annular ridges 36 on the outer surface of the
plunger 15. The plunger 15 is then rotated by rotating the cap 17,
whereby the food to be grated is caused to rotate while being
maintained in contact with the grater disc, and is expelled from
the lower surface of the grater disk 13.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and
described, various modifications and substitutions may be made
thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present
invention has been described by way of illustration only, and this
description should not be construed as limiting to the several
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *